A Special Report by Dr. Therese Cheski, N.D., M.Ed, DCH, NBCDCH

It’s official! Cold and flu season has arrived and the U.S. Health Service has announced that the Influenza A virus is on its way to our area. NOW is the time, if you haven’t already been doing so, to actively work on boosting your immune system. To do so, there a number of ways that you can avoid those miserable cold and flu symptoms that plague so many of us, especially this time of year.

• WASH YOUR HANDS! Yes. Mom was right when she kept telling you to "wash your hands!" While the common cold is primarily spread by the airborne droplets from an infected person breathing, coughing, or sneezing and do not stay alive on inanimate objects for very long, it is still very possible to catch a cold by simply shaking hands with someone who has just blown her nose or coughed into his hand. If you go out into heavily-trafficked public places – like stores or restaurants – children or adults who have a habit of nail-biting or putting their fingers to their mouths are particularly vulnerable to picking-up a cold or flu virus. Washing your hands and your children’s hands immediately after your foray may save you from experiencing the discomfort of a bout with the cold or flu.
  
• EAT A PROPER DIET, well rounded and rich in nutrient dense foods like raw fruits & vegetables. If you aren’t able to do so on a daily basis, you may consider taking a good quality nutritional supplement to fill in the gaps in your diet. I personally take a fantastic supplement called Juice Plus+ that contains a wide variety of 17 concentrated raw fruits & vegetables along with whole grain plant fibers and enzymes. It is available in capsule, chewable tablet, or (for children) gummy forms. The adult dose costs only about $1 a day. If you would like to give your good or not-so-good diet a boost, give my office a call for more information.
  
  
• REST & REDUCE STRESS. Our bodies need sleep to repair & rejuvenate itself everyday. Rest helps to strengthen immune function and enhance the body’s natural process of detoxification. Stress is also known to increase susceptibility to the common cold and to disease in general. People who are under prolonged stress are far more likely to come down with colds and other illnesses. So get your daily dose of R&R and you may not need to take doses of other medications!
  
• DRINK A MINIMUM OF 8-10 (8OZ.) GLASSES OF WATER OR JUICE A DAY to avoid dehydration, keep your mucous membranes moist, loosen phlegm, and flush toxins from the body. If you are a coffee or caffeinated soda drinker, as a rule of thumb, you will need an EXTRA 8 OZ. OF WATER FOR EVERY CUP OF COFFEE OR SODA YOU DRINK. Caffeine is a diuretic; that’s why you probably find yourself having to urinate soon after drinking coffee or other caffeine beverages.
  
• ABSTAIN FROM ALCOHOL & SMOKING because it reduces the body’s ability to fight infection.
  
• VITAMIN C, TAKEN IN DIVIDED DOSES TO "BOWEL TOLERANCE." I recommend the "Ester-C" (calcium ascorbate) form of buffered vitamin C. It is much easier on the stomach & digestive system than the more common ascorbic acid form of vitamin C; and the powdered form of Ester-C, which you mix with your favorite fruit or vegetable juice and drink with each meal, is more bio-available (easily absorbed and used by the body) than pills. The powder is also easier to adjust the dosage than capsules or tablets. Listen to your body and let IT tell you what it needs. To take to "bowel tolerance" simply begin by taking about ¼ teaspoon of the powder mixed in juice three times a day; then gradually, every day or two, increase the amount of powder you mix until you get diarrhea. That is your "bowel tolerance" at that time. You may be surprised at just how much your body tells you that it needs. Now bowel tolerance may vary depending upon the amount of stress you are under either physically or psychologically. When you are under greater stress, your body will consume and require more vitamin C. So if you are experiencing more stress, of either kind, than usual, you may need to reassess your body’s need for vitamin C and the other "stress vitamins" -- the B-complex vitamins, including folic acid. If you feel a cold coming-on, take as much vitamin C as can be tolerated every 2 hours daily without causing diarrhea.
  

• ECHINACEA. Take 2-4 capsules at onset and 1-2 capsules every 4 hours; an echinacea tea can be made 4 times a day until symptoms are gone. NOTE: Echinacea is NOT for chronic/ongoing use. Take only at the onset and during infection and for not more than a few weeks at a time. For long-term immune system boost, consider taking the herb, ASTRAGALUS, 300 mg a day. Some people who are under stress take this indefinitely.

• SAMBUCOL/ELDERBERRY EXTRACT is an excellent and great-tasting remedy for colds & flu. Take one tablespoon 4 times a day (adult dose). It is also available in lozenges that are more portable than the liquid.

• ZINC GLUCONATE, C, & B6 LOZENGES/"COLD-EEZE" LOZENGES -- TAKEN EVERY 2 HOURS OR SO AS SOON AS COLD SYMPTOMS APPEAR. Keep in mind that zinc taken on an empty stomach can cause stomach upset. If this happens to you, you may prefer to take after eating at least a snack first. These can reduce the severity and length of a cold. The Cold-Eeze lozenges are actually homeopathic remedies.
  
• ARIZONA NATURALS -- Homeopathic cold/flu packets that are mixed with hot water. Last winter, after a exhausting and stressful move into my present office, my own immune system was functioning at far less than peak and I found myself coming down with influenza. After feeling miserable, I came across Arizona Sun (now called Arizona Naturals) at one of the local drugstores (and have since seen it on other store shelves as well). It caught my eye because it too is homeopathically-prepared. That evening, I made my first cup of the remedy and after drinking less than half the cup, I fell asleep my fever spiked, and I awoke feeling uncomfortable but very pleased to know that this stuff is really good! (*Please note: Arizona Sun is now called Arizona Naturals. Arizona Sun is in no way affiliated with Arizona Naturals and we do not endorse Arizona Sun products.) With homeopathic remedies, it is common to experience a healing crisis – a brief exacerbation of the symptoms followed by a dramatic improvement. When this occurs, you know that you have the correct remedy and that you will soon be feeling much better. And I did feel much improved when I awoke the next morning. Later that evening, the symptoms returned and I repeated the Arizona Sun remedy. Regardless of the instructions you may find on homeopathically-prepared remedies that you buy in the store, it is important to keep in mind the principles of homeopathy. Take a homeopathic remedy only until a change in symptoms is noted, and then stop and let your body heal itself. This is quite different from the way allopathic medicines are prescribed. In homeopathy, less is more. That’s one of the reasons why homeopathy is so safe, even for babies. Repeat a remedy only when or if the symptoms return.
  
• OTHER HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES. If you are extremely ill with a severe cold, flu, or sinusitis, it would be wise to call my office for further recommendations which may include some homeopathic remedies that I have on hand that are available only to healthcare professionals who are trained in homeopathy. These can be very effective for severe or chronic conditions.
  
• COLLOIDAL SILVER (CS) – Last, but certainly not the least in importance! Colloidal silver is an incredibly effective natural anti-microbial, antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-fungal, immune-enhancer. I strongly believe that colloidal silver belongs in every household medicine chest. My first experience with colloidal silver was during my naturopathic residency at the Southern College of Naturopathic Medicine clinic in Mexico during the summer of 1999. Before then, I was skeptical about the use of colloidal silver; but the experience made me a believer! We used it daily as a very effective preventive against "Montezuma’s Revenge" and with countless patients with a wide variety of problems. A daily dose of one teaspoon of weak solution colloidal silver (approx. 5-10ppm) taken internally is effective and safe for daily immune enhancement and disease prevention. For colds/flu/sinusitis/other infections, take a teaspoon of the CS up to 4 times a day. For sinus or ear infections, tilt your head back and squeeze a dropper of CS into each nostril (one nostril at a time), then gently massage the sinuses. If you feel the CS running down the back of your throat, you may either spit it out or swallow it. Next, squeeze some CS into each ear, allowing it to flow through the eustachion tubes, and massage the area just in front of each ear. If desired, tuck a cotton ball gently into the ear (but NEVER shove deep into the ear canal!).

Call Angel of Hope Wellness Center at 414-541-HOPE or e-mail us at drterry@angelofhope.net